“You seem so irritable these days,” my mother said as I was engrossed in my smartphone, switching between checking my mails and browsing through a social networking site.

“You won’t understand, Ma, our lives are way too complicated and stressful as compared to you,” I retorted.

“What is the reason behind your stress?” she asked again, maintaining her composure.

“Oh, you keep asking me these questions, this is the last time I am answering you.” I was starting to lose my patience. “I have to prove myself, I have to stay ahead, I have to achieve landmarks in my career and life, I have to achieve something before it is too late,” I was distraught by now.

“Stay ahead of whom, achieve which landmark?” my mother’s patient tone was directly proportional to the anger that was seething in me.

“Ahead of everyone and to be the best among my contemporaries,” I blurted out.

To which she smiled and said, “the parameters that you have set for yourself can never be achieved because no matter what you do, no matter how hard you work, no matter how much money you earn, there would be someone who would be doing better than you.”

“So, should I give up everything and stay back and home?” I asked irritably.

To which she replied calmly, “Choose a different race.”

“Which race?” I asked curiously.

“The race to be good, to do good and to stay good, no matter what,” she said smilingly.

“It is impossible to achieve what you just said, it is easier said than done,” I said with a grumpy face.

“It is not so difficult as you think. Every morning when you get up, first thank the Almighty for having blessed you with a wonderful day. After that think about at least three things which you appreciate about your life and lastly put forward a challenge of doing a good thing which was better than something you did yesterday,” she continued.

“And what do you think will I achieve if I do it regularly?,” I asked, feeling like a fool already.

“You will regain the connection you seem to have lost, with the Almighty and with your true and pure self, What more would you want?” she said with a smile.

“Thank you Ma, for helping me and tolerating my stupidity,” I said as I hugged her.

“Being good and staying good might seem tough in this seemingly fierce world, yet when practiced regularly you will realize that they are best things to have happened to you,” she said as she hugged me back.

I couldn’t thank her enough for the conversation, that brought me back from the self created trench of misery and helped me realize the importance of being good and staying good.